AN AMERICAN firm which has worked on major Hollywood franchises has announced it will open a new animation studio in Glasgow creating hundreds of jobs.
Halon Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, said it plans to build a £28 million facility in the city which they hope will create up to 250 jobs over the next three years.
The US company has worked on franchises including The Mandalorian, Batman, Mission: Impossible and the Planet of the Apes along with the hit video game Fortnite.
When announcing the plans Halon said it was attracted to Scotland due to the “skilled workforce” and “world-renowned academic institutions”.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said it was a “huge endorsement of the skills, talent and experience that Glasgow offers” as he welcomed the news.
He added: “It marks a major boost for the digital tech, film, TV, and games industries, reinforcing Scotland's position as a global hub for creative technology.
“Inward investment like this is a key driver of that growth and the cultural and economic opportunities that come with that, including hundreds of good, well-paying jobs.”
Founded in 2003, Halon creates animation for game cinematics, real-time visualisation and virtual production for films, programmes and adverts.
President Chris Ferriter said the new Scotland studio will help the company deliver “exceptional work” to even more productions across the world.
He said: “With production happening across the globe, expanding our full-service studios on both sides of the Atlantic allows us to better support our clients with world-class services and top-tier talent, no matter where projects take them.
“Our new Scotland studio strengthens our ability to collaborate seamlessly across time zones and deliver exceptional work to even more productions worldwide.”
Scotland's screen industry generated £366m in 2023 and employed 4500 people, according to a report commissioned by Screen Scotland.
Scottish Enterprise, national economic development agency, is providing Halon with advisory services and £3.9m of funding towards the overall project cost.
Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotland said: “We warmly welcome Halon to Glasgow.
“We are delighted it has chosen Scotland as its UK base, thanks to the depth of our animation and visual effects talent across film, TV and video games. Scotland’s globally competitive offer is backed up by the UK’s recently enhanced visual effects tax credit alongside a range of support from Screen Scotland.”
